The Zero Curse

Author says: what if Ronald Reagan had been a victim of the so-called "zero-curse" muses Eric Lipps? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).

March 30th 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot and fatally wounded by former mental patient John Hinckley, who had decided to assassinate him as a way to impress the actress Jodie Foster, on whom Hinckley had developed a fixation after seeing her in the movie Taxi Driver.

Reagan became the eighth victim of the so-called "zero curse," in which U.S.presidents elected in years ending with zero died in office. The others, in order, were:

William Henry Harrison, elected 1840, died 1841 of pneumonia after only a month in office
Abraham Lincoln, elected 1860, assassinated 1865
Grover Cleveland, elected 1880, assassinated 1881
William McKinley, (re)elected 1900, assassinated 1901
Warren Harding, elected 1920, died 1923
Franklin Delano Rooseelt, elected 1940 (3rd term), died 1945 (fourth term; cerebral hemorrhage)
John F. Kennedy, elected 1960, assassinated 1963.

Vice-President George Herbert Walker Bush was sworn in as the forty-first U.S. President March 31. His would be a troubled presidency, assailed from left and right alike. Only the Democrats' unwise choice of the colorless Walter Mondale as their nominee in 1984 would enable him to secure a second term.

In the 1990s, speculation would run rampant as to what would happen to the winner of the approaching 2000 election.

Author says to view guest historian's comments on this post please visit the Today in Alternate History web site.

Imagine what would be, if history had occurred a bit differently. Who says it didn't, somewhere? These fictional news items explore that possibility. Possibilities such as America becoming a Marxist superpower, aliens influencing human history in the 18th century and Teddy Roosevelt winning his 3rd term as president abound in this interesting fictional blog.